No recommendation for 5 tyres in Autozeitung all-season test

It’s not uncommon for motoring clubs or magazines to withhold their recommendation when testing tyres, but they typically reserve this cautionary result for low-priced candidates that struggle to compete against premium and mid-range rivals. But Autozeitung has declined to recommend no less than five tyres in its 2023 all-season test – more than half the entire field – including products from known names.

“Modern all-season tyres promise to cope with both good and wintry weather,” comments Autozeitung. “But not all succeed equally well.” The tyres in question are size 225/55 R17, a dimension suited to a wide range of saloons and compact SUVs. The motoring publication looked at nine products and evaluated these in dry, wet and snowy conditions.

The winner was Goodyear, with its Vector 4Seasons Gen-3. “All in all, the third-generation Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons convinces us,” writes tester Martin Urbanke. “It delivers consistently strong results and reveals no real weaknesses.”

Four of the nine tested tyres gained Autozeitung’s coveted ‘highly recommendable’ rating. Runner-up tyre the Michelin CrossClimate 2 delivered the best performance in dry and snowy conditions as well as the lowest rolling resistance. Hankook also secures a place on the podium with its Kinergy 4S 2, a tyre that Autozeitung considers “not quite as good” as its Goodyear rival, but similarly balanced – and more affordable.

Rounding out the ‘highly recommendable’ quartet is the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2, which we find in fifth place thanks to “unrivalled wet grip” and in spite of “little grip in the snow.”

What happened to the tyre that finished fourth? This is the Kléber Quadraxer 3, which performed “super in the snow” but “weak in the wet.” Autozeitung withheld its recommendation due to this poor result in wet conditions. It similarly chose not to recommend the Vredestein Quatrac Pro+, which like the Kléber tyre delivered “average results” but showed “some weak points.” No recommendation for the Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert 2 and Nexen N’Blue 4 Season 2 either. Autozeitung tester Martin Urbanke observes that both were “clearly behind” in this test.

Rated highly recommendable

Test winner – Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3: “No other tyre delivers such consistently strong performance without compromising. This makes the current Goodyear 4Seasons a deserved test winner.”

Michelin CrossClimate 2: “Top performance in snow and dry conditions outweighs the mediocre wet result – second place. Rides particularly efficiently thanks to low rolling resistance.”

Hankook H750 Kinergy 4S 2: “No longer brand new, but with good results on both wet and dry roads, the inexpensive Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 takes a strong third place.”

Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2: “Unbeatable in the wet, but weak in the snow. Due to its high rolling resistance, the revised Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 only comes fifth.”

No recommendation

Kléber Quadraxer 3: “Very good on snow, strong in the dry – but with clear weaknesses in the wet. That’s why we refuse to give the Kléber Quadraxer 3 our recommendation.”

Vredestein Quatrac Pro+: “The revised Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ offers hardly any highlights. It is quite balanced, but we would have expected more in terms of wet grip and braking power.”

Firestone Multiseason Gen02: “The Firestone Multiseason2 shows a balanced performance in all criteria, but scores rather weak in cross aquaplaning and dry braking.”

Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert 2: “If you fear aquaplaning, the Uniroyal AllseasonExpert2 is the best choice. On snow, however, it is quickly at its limit, and the dry braking distance is too long.”

Nexen N’Blue 4 Season 2: “Inexpensive, but not really good: The snow performance is acceptable for an all-season tyre, but the Nexen N’Blue 4 Season 2 has too little grip in the wet.”